Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-02-25
THE DRUGGISTS PECULIAR ORDERS.


Curious Mistakes in Names Made by APP
plicants FOR Medicines.
A Cambridgcport druggist has made u
practice for some years Of saving in u
scrap book some OF the most peculiar or
dcrs which he receives. 1--WE arc asked
for some rather strange things, he said
TO the writer. "but we can generally
guess what is wanted. Many people OK
pcct Il druggist to prescribe for their all
ments, as it saves physicians charges,
and the diagnoses Of complaints which
come to us are often amusing. Look at
these: Send me some of the essence you
put people to sleep with when you cut
their fingers OIL That evidently means
ether. L want something to take tobac-
co out Of my mouth. OF course the
scent of tobacco was the thing objected
to. Send me babv's top to nursing
bottle means, without doubt, a nursing
bottle top. An ounce of the smelling
stuff that goes through your brain de-
scribcs very well the effect of inhaling
ammonia. Something for a sore baby $
eye is not easy to mistake, though stated
rather oddly, Here is q startling order
for enough irecac TO throw mp girl
years Old l cannot help sympathiz-
ing with this person, who asks for
enough aniseseed to take the twist out of
a dose of scnna. Here is n request for
a plaster for man kilt with stitches
Perhaps the one who wrote this order
for something for a caustic woman
built better than he knew Here is an
order for something for heavy pain in
the bones that is coming out through tho
eyes. The person who wrote for some
thing to take mans breath away did
not intend murder or suicide, but merely
wished for cardamom seed CT something
of that nature. l sent a linimcnt to this
lady, who asked for something to rub
my old man with. Not a bad descrip-
ton Of poulticc is the order for enough
faXseed to make a pudding for a sore
toe. This child, who had AN impress
sion on his heart and n cough that is
choking him in the neck, ought to have
been taken to a doctor, as well as this
other one who, his mother wrote, was
'heaving up and down and every way.
Here is a request for something to knock
cold ont of an old woman. The next
one seems to be in hard condition. She
desires something for a woman who has
a bad cough and cannot cough No
druggist would hesitate for minute to
fill this order: Something, | forget the
name, but it is for cure Our own
preparation will Just fill the bill in such
a case But what should we send for q
'swcllel woman 5 foot, u man with a
dry spit on him and "a woman whose
appetite is loose on herr
..[No ,tcoI 10 ,,lo-,c... a.,,olIi,,c. :.
pursued the druggist. land are very
seldom unable to arrive at Il fair con-
clusion Of what is wanted. even by the
blindest writers. Here are orders for
penny garick, parry garlic and paddy
garlic, which procured parcgoric in each
case. These orders for barnegat, verg
mount and bugmint We're filled with
bergamot: these requests for come car
back, gum mare back. garmaribacl,.
comcaraback and ram back called for
gum arabic: these asking for camher and
campfire meant camphor; worm me fuge
and harmafug meant vcrmifuge. of
course where our customers have called
for epicot, metick, epicack, apricot and
epicat we have delivered ipocacuanha;
the persons who wrote for honey quintom,
blew ONT, Annie Quintom and Ann
Grlntom got unguentum: otherwise
called blue ointment; orders for lodnom,
lad mum and lord warm we filled with
laudanum: for balm of city we sent
spermaccti those who wanted high
STRIPS got hive syrup: this fellow who
wrote for paint killer received pain killer
knew that bubben wisby meant bour-
bon whisky, that air root meant arrow
root. and that bitter Alice meant bitter
aloes. l sent Arabian balsam instead of
raving balsam to this man, corrosive
sublimate instead of gross of supple
mentS to that one, and cherry pectoral
instead of cherry pickerel to this other.
| substituted syrup of squills in these
orders for sharp squil and strip of swill,
sent Ayers pills to this man who asks
for ear pill. EPSON salts to the one who
wrote for lapson salt and some cubebs
instead Of cupids to the other Not hay
ing any glory farm on hand, took the
liberty Of filling this order with chloro-
form, and being out Of tiacll seed and
tlack sed | sent flaXseed in that one
"When l got these orders for OK sled
acid and horrid limc l sent oXalic acid
and chloratc of lime. This man asks for
seed, but gave cardamom seeds to each.
Many orders come III where one syllable
is mistaken for a conjunction, as churrup
and quill, for syrup Of squills; checl, and
berry, for checkerbeiry; gold and thread,
for golden thread; spit and turkletne, for
spirits of turpentne; balm and gilead, for
balm of Gilead; hope and dildock, for
opodcldoc. People who wish for borax
write for boeracks, bowrux, bow rax and
bow wax. We get orders for Arnold's
blossom instead of balsam; Halls hair
manure. for remover, and Burnett's
'cocarinc, instead of cocoainc Custom
ers who want loyage write for love itch.
Those who desire licorice write for luck
rich, logrish, liclirish and stickrish. Here
is a woman who wants five cents worth
of cologne to smell trunk. Another
asks for mixture which shall be two
thirds alcohol and two-thirds castor oil.